Support apparatus



Vthey occupy a minimum of space.

. foreign matter.

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 SUPPORT APPARATUS Harry l). Lathrop, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Lathrop-Paulson Company, Chicago, Ill.,` a corporation of illinois Application November 16, 1945, Serial No. 629,041

3 Claims. (c1. 2'11-131) This invention relates to sulpportv apparatus.

It' is particularly useful for thestoring of pipes,

bars, and other elongated articles which take up space and arediflicult toA handle in a factory or-A other form of business.

In the handling of pipe, long and short bars, and other elongated articles'rvvhich take up considerable space in a factory, it has been customary to place them, for ease of handling, Von the floors of factories. Since most factories are restricted in floor space, While at the same time having high vceilings which are unused, this arl rangement represents a serious loss of space. If the pipe or barsare stored upon racks arranged vertically in the plant, the difficulty and time involved in reaching the racks and drawing out the long and heavy pieces make thearrangement unsatisfactory. Further, when the bars and pipe are stacked on the floor, considerable shifting of the bars and pipes is often necessary in order to obtain the desired length or size of pipe or bar which may be in the bottom of the pile.

An object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple structure which permits the easy stacking of pipe, bars, and the like in vertical position upon support apparatus Where In somer arrangements, from 90% to 95%A of storage space is saved. A further object is to provide an ar rangement Whereby vertically-stacked bars,

other space not normally used for the storage of pipes, bars,rand the like, While providing means for readily moving the support structure to present the desired type of pipe or bar at a convenient point for the operator. Yet another object is to provide a rotatable support structure with means for carrying elongated articles, such as pipes, bars, and the like, -While at the same time providing means for rotating the structure to the desired point forr withdrawal of the selected article. A still further object is to provide a structure which is adaptable for the storage of long or short tubes, bars, and the like in a manner for convenient serving to an operator and in a manner which keeps the articles free of the dust which settles rin the factory and of other will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in preferred embodiments, in the accompanying drawing, vin

Other objects and advantages' Figure 1 is a broken vertical View in elevation.

and in part vertical section of apparatus lembodying my invention; Fig. 2, a top plan view, the

view being taken as indicated at line 2 2V of' Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a transverse sectionalview, the section being taken as indicated .at lineV 3-.3 of Fig.v 1; Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view, the section being taken as indicated at line ll-ll of Fig. l; andFig. 5, a side View inelevation, and

part section, of a supporting bracket'xed to the top Wall of the factory and provided with an opening for supporting the top of the mast carried by the suplpo'rt apparatus.

rThe invention contemplates a support apparatus of relatively small cross section but high vertical extent, which is adapted for the support of y elongated articles, such as bars, pipes, and the like. A support platform is preferably provided with a central conical or pointed bearing restingv upon a mating bearing carried bythe floor or base. The [platform is provided with a verticallyextending mastl or support equipped with means for carrying the upper ends of the pipes, bars, or other'articles. To steady the mast and the platform against tilting, I provide. either anti-friction bearings carried by the base at a distance from the central bearing or, as an alternative, a structure suchas shown in Fig. 5,in ywhich the top of the mast is supported against tilting by engagement with a bracket carried by the ceiling structure. The latter type of construction is found highly useful for pipe and bars of cX- tremely long length, While thevrst structure, as

shown more clearly in Fig. 1, is useful for short pipe and bars but can be made also satisfactory for extremely long bars and pipe.

In the specific form of the illustration given in Figs. l to 4 inclusive, Ill designates a base which may rest upon the floor of the factory. If desired, the floor itself may be modified to serve "integral insert portion IS received within a tu' bular mast IS. The bearing 'lf2 is provided With laterally-extending flangesfor shoulders -Zlupo-n Which rests the platform 2| providing a flocr'forjv .receiving the ends of pipe, bars, and the like.

The platform 2| is provided with a sleeve portion 22 which is welded at 23 to the platform, and the sleeve 22 receives the mast I9. The sleeve 22 and platform 2| are provided with a plurality of partition walls or wings 24 which provide compartments for receiving pipes, bars, etc. of different sizes, lengths, etc. It will be understood that the number of compartments may be varied as desired and to suit the requirements of the particular factory.

Any suitable means for rotating the platform 2| may be employed. In the illustration given, I provide L-anges 25 which have horizontal portions welded to the bottom of platform 2| and .a vertical portion 26 provided with notches 2l having one inclined face and a vertical face. An operating handle 28 may be in the form of a tube, as illustrated more clearly in Fig. l, and a pivot rod 29 may be extended into the lower portion of the handle 28 and turned at right angles to provide a pivot section 3B. rEhe pivot section 3l) is received within a tube 3| which has its bottom wall `welded to the base Hi. The handle lever 28 is equipped with spaced flanges 32 and $3 which are apertured-tc receive the pawl 35. The pawl 34 is provided at its lower end with a herizontal tooth- 0r notchengaging portion 35.

Vportion 35 of the lpawl'34 will engage the notches or teeth 21 of the vertical flange 25, and by this means the lever may be swung to rotate the platform 2|.

Any suitable structure for supporting the upper ends of the bars, pipes, and the like, may 'ide be employed. In the illustration given, I ov a hub member 35 equipped with a set screw 3'? by which the hub can be secured to the mast lat any desired elevated point. Welded to the hub are outwardly-extending partition walls or bars 38, as Shown more clearly in Figs 1 and 3.

I prefer to provide a circularl rod or band which will securely hold the upper ends of the rods, etc. against outward tilting and thus center them above the platform 2|. In the illustration given, I provide a hub 39 equipped with a set screw lil so that it may be secured to an upper portion ci the mast I9. The hub is equipped with ontwardly-extending partition strips .l, which at their outer ends are welded to a circular rod or pipe 42. Thus, the strips l serve not only as means for separating the different types of bai-s or pipes, etc., but also as means for supporting the retaining band or ring' In the modfication illustrated in Fig. 5, the anti-friction rollers I6 carried by the base may be dispensed with and the top of the mast I9 may be supported by the bracket member f3 secured to a beam of the ceiling wall Ml. In the structure shown, the bracket 453 is provided with flanges through which bolts 46 extend into a beam of the ceiling. A central web portion. of the bracket 43 is provided with an opening or aperture lll which is a little larger than the mast I9. The top support thus provided mainu tains the mast against tilting and the platform preserves its true horizontal position. It will be understood that any means for supporting the top of the mast may be employed. In some installations, the top ceiling has been merely cut away to permit the mast to extend therethrough and a collar fitted into the ceiling to provide a support for the top of the mast I9. In the illustration given, the plate Il! is shown welded to the members l5, and 3|. If desired, the plate Il) may be a portion of the ioor itself.

Operation In the operation of the structure, bars, pipes, etc. are placed upon the platform 2| with their lower ends resting upon the platform and their outer ends received within the ring 42. The bars or pipes will be segregated within the compartments according to size or for any other desired reason. If the bars to be supported are found to be relatively short, the hub 36 and the hub 39 may be loosened from the mast and moved downwardly for securing at a lower height. When longer articles are stored, the members 36 and 39 may be secured at more elevated positions. When an operator on a machine desires to use a certain type of pipe or bar, or any other form of material stored on the platform, he simply swings the operating handle 28 so that the ratchet portion 35 thereof engages the notches 2 and, with this fulcrum, readily rotates the entire structure to the position where the bar or pipe is to be served to a machine. It is found that even though many tons of material are carried by the platform, the rotation just described is extremely easy and can be accomplished with one hand by the operator. By centering the weight upon the central cone bearings, it is found that a minimum of manual effort is required in the turning operation, Vand further that there is a minimum of tendency for the pipes and other articles to tilt. Actually, in the operation of the structure, the loaded support tends to equally distribute its weight upon the central bearing and very little weight is carried by the wheels I5 or the top bracket 43. The structure will accommodate itself to bars of short sizes or bars of extremely long length, as well as to other elongated objects which may be of entirely different configuration from that of the tubes and bars mentioned herein as illustrations.

By supporting the elongated articles in a vertical position upon a rotatable platform, it is found that the articles remain free from the dust and foreign particles which circulate in a factory and that there is less tendency for rust to form because of the spaced arrangement of the articles in the warmer upper sections of the factory. It is found to be extremely easy for the operator to load the pipe or bars in a vertical position upon the platform and, in the serving of the articles to a machiney the operation is almost automatic because, when the article, having reached the point of the machine to which it is to be delivered, is raised from the platform, its own weight tends to slide it onto the machine into the desired position. The structure is particularly useful for placing in corners and out-of-the-way places because, by the rotation provided, pipe or bars at a back portion of the corner can be readily swung to a position forward of the corner or to any point near the machine to which the articles are to be fed.

While in the foregoing specication, I have set forth in considerable detail certain embodiments of the invention for the purpose of illustration, it will be understood that such details may be modified widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

VI claim:

l. In support apparatus for heavy elongated objects, a base, a mast rotatably supported upon said base and equipped with a bearing, and imperforate platform carried by said mast and resting upon said bearing, anti-friction means for supporting the platform for rotation, a closed loop member extending about the'upper endof said mast, radial arms carried by said mast and supporting said loop memberthereon, radial partition members carried iby said platform, and a collar secured to said mast at an intermediate point between said loop member and said platform, and spaced arms extending radially from said collar, said arms extending freely from said collar and spaced from between said platform and said loop member and aligned vertically with said platform partitions.

2. In combination, a base, a mast rotatably mounted upon said base, a platform equipped with a tubular sleeve receiving said mast, said platform being of circular shape and being imperforate, partitions carried by said platform and by the sleeve thereof, a loop member extending about the upper end of said mast and supported thereon by radial arms, a collar secured to said mast at a intermediate point, and radial arms carried by said collar vand extending freely therefrom in vertical alignment with the partitions of said base.

l3. In support apparatus for heavy elongated objects, a mast equipped with a pointed bearing, a base having a socket receiving said bearing, a

said platform.

HARRY D. LATI-IRO?.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 322,600 Hazelton July 21, 1885 509,675 Phinney Nov. 28, 1893 613,538 Varney Nov. 1, 1898 '790,047 Goldman May 16, 1905 830,815 Ziebell Sept. 11, 1906 1,300,464 OConnor' Apr. 15, 1919 1,448,253 Bodker Mar. 13, 1923 1,478,043 Matteson Dec. 18, 1923 2,046,896 Hedge July '7, 1936 

